As he spoke, Mays looked toward the huge Greek columns that rise uniquely above the end zone at Scott Stadium, but he was not referring to the architecture. Instead, Mays’ comments concerned the Trojans’ next game against No. 2-ranked Ohio State on Sept. 13.

“It’s huge. People have been hyping that Ohio State game for so long,” Mays said. “Now we can finally focus on it. The hype made us focus twice as hard on Virginia.”

When Ohio State reviews the game tape, one lesson it might learn is to avoid raising the ire of the Trojans before kickoff. Several USC players said they were surprised when Virginia showed up on the field during the Trojans’ Friday evening walk-through inside the stadium.

“You could see them eyeing us,” linebacker Rey Maualuga said. “It was like a sign of disrespect. I think they wanted to prove something to us.”

Apparently, there was a misunderstanding over when each team was scheduled to arrive, but it allowed this parting shot from Maualuga.

“I thought that was like a JV team so that they could make us think they weren’t that big,” he said.

Actually, the record crowd of 64,947 might agree with Maualuga because the Cavaliers offered virtually no resistance and gave few reasons to excite the fans. The outcome also made the Ohio State game important just to gauge how good USC really is after this routine blowout.

“We’re not putting ourselves in the Hall of Fame,” USC coach Pete Carroll said. “We had a good, solid day.”

Exhibit A was quarterback Mark Sanchez, who silenced his doubters by completing 26 of 35 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.

Or did he? Sanchez often stood still in the backfield, he was given so much time by the supposedly inexperienced offensive line.

“(Offensive line coach Pat) Ruel says we’re cooking steaks back there because we get so much time,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez also relied on a clearly improved group of wide receivers. In a sign that this season might be different, sophomore Ronald Johnson caught a 49-yard touchdown pass.

“It’s nice to go 50 yards in one snap,” Carroll said. “That’s an aspect of our offense we didn’t sense was there last year.”

Johnson was not the only one. Arkansas transfer Damian Williams (seven catches, 91 yards) showed why the coaches compare him to former receiver Steve Smith. And senior Patrick Turner came out of a slumber to make a 42-yard catch.

“We really sensed Mark has an eye for getting the ball downfield,” Carroll said. “He’s got a real attitude and takes advantage of it, if you give him the time.”

It’s hard to imagine Sanchez would ever get more time this season than he did against the Cavaliers. But there were signs before the game that he would keep his emotions under control.

“Right before we went on the field (Friday), I thought, `Dang, we’re already here.’ It was a good kind of nerves,” Sanchez said. “As soon as I walked on the field (Saturday), I felt right about playing. It really set me free, the preparation.”

Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian also made an unusual decision to aid Sanchez. Despite Carroll’s insistence on a balanced offense, Sarkisian decided it was more important to boost Sanchez’s confidence.

So the Trojans threw 35 passes to just 23 runs through three quarters before things evened up during garbage time.

“Early in the game, we wanted to get Mark in a rhythm and get him feeling comfortable,” Sarkisian said.

Even the defense wondered how Sanchez and Co. would respond in the opener?

“People didn’t know what would happen with the offense,” Mays said. “I think our offense showed what they were capable of.”

USC jumped out to a 21-0 lead, allowed Virginia to score on a drive fueled by three Trojan penalties, and then scored 31 straight points to close out the game.

However, USC’s crowded backfield remained clogged. Sophomore C.J. Gable scored on a 33-yard run and finished with a team-high 73 yards, but mustered only nine carries, the same as Allen Bradford and Stafon Johnson.

Meanwhile, the defense lived up to its advance billing, with one surprise: Converted linebacker Clay Matthews enjoyed a big debut at defensive end, with a team-best six tackles, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.

“We knew we had something to prove,” Matthews said. “But who knew it would be this score?”

Who also knew how awful Virginia quarterback Peter Lalich would play? He threw for just 135 yards, fumbled twice and was intercepted once. It’s doubtful Ohio State will be as gracious in two weeks.

“I don’t think we played great,” Carroll said. “The guys did what they had to do. We don’t ever try to play great. That makes you try too hard. We’ve never wanted to put pressure on our guys like that.”

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